A 27-year-old man killed his South Korean girlfriend whom he had met at a church after a ‘petty quarrel about hair being found down the plug hole’, a court heard today.

Daniel Jones allegedly murdered Da In Lee, 22, on Easter Sunday last year and attempted to hide the body under a duvet at his flat in Tipton, West Midlands, before fleeing to Bristol.

Jones admitted to his ex-partner that he had killed Miss Lee, who studied international relations and sociology at Aston University in Birmingham, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

On trial: Daniel Jones (left) allegedly strangled his girlfriend Da In Lee (right) after they argued about her leaving hair down the plug hole - and he then attempted to hide the body under a duvet at his flat in the West Midlands

The information was passed onto police and officers found Miss Lee's body in Jones's bed on April 9. He was arrested after police in Bristol found him on board a train heading to Birmingham.

Miss Lee met Jones at a local church but had ended the relationship days before her death, Gordon Aspden, prosecuting, told the court.

He said: 'At the time of her death Da In Lee was just 22. She was born and brought up in South Korea which is the country where her family still resides.

'She was clearly an intelligent young woman because she travelled half way around the world to the UK in order to complete her education.

‘She spoke good English and last year she was mid-way through a degree at Aston University in Birmingham. In 2011 Da In Lee met Daniel Jones at a church that she attended in south Birmingham.

Murder: The body of Da In Lee was discovered by police at Daniel Jones's flat in the West Midlands last year

‘The two of them became friendly and in due course a relationship developed between them. The relationship gradually began to deteriorate. There were frequent arguments and rows.

'She spent the Saturday night at the flat with him and there appears to have been an attempt at reconciliation between them. But swiftly and violently it all went wrong. By Easter Sunday evening Da In Lee was dead'

Gordon Aspden, prosecuting

‘They would end up shouting insults. Miss Lee eventually finished with this defendant on March 24. Unfortunately later over the Easter weekend Miss Lee returned to the defendant's flat to see him.

'She spent the Saturday night at the flat with him and there appears to have been an attempt at reconciliation between them. But swiftly and violently it all went wrong.

'By Easter Sunday evening Da In Lee was dead.'

Mr Aspden added that when he was being quizzed by officers, Jones claimed he had killed Miss Lee by accident. He said: 'Jones agreed that around 7pm on Easter Sunday he had killed Da In Lee.

Couple: South Korean Da In Lee met Daniel Jones at church and the pair began a relationship, the court heard

'He said the background had been a petty quarrel over household chores and hair being found in the plughole. The two of them had started pushing each other.

‘He said he had caused her to fall over and then quickly he got on top of her. He said when Miss Lee had been underneath him she had struggled and screamed so he put his left hand over her mouth.

‘He had then taken hold of her throat with his right hand. He described how her face had gone a purplish blue, he said he had seen tears well up in her eyes and two tears rolling down her face.

'He said that when he was applying pressure and she was turning blue he had not intended to cause her any harm.

Studies: Jones admitted to his ex-partner that he had killed Miss Lee, who read international relations and sociology at Aston University (pictured) in Birmingham, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told

'He further claimed that he had completely lost track of time and therefore he didn't know how long it was he was applying pressure to her throat.

'He said the background had been a petty quarrel over household chores and hair being found in the plughole. The two of them had started pushing each other'

Gordon Aspden, prosecuting

'Throughout the incident she had been looking at him as she had been struggling but he hadn't released his grip.

'According to what he said to the police, “the outcome wasn't what I expected, I didn't expect that to happen”.

'He said all he wanted to do was to calm her down. He said after he had released her neck he carried her through to his bedroom.'

The court also heard that while in Bristol, Jones had used Miss Lee's mobile phone to ring a company called DialAFlight to try to arrange a flight to New York - but he hung up before it was booked. Jones denies murder. The trial continues.

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